Parrots kept in zoos and private households often develop psychological and behavioural disorders. Despite knowing that such disorders have a multifactorial aetiology and that chronic stress is involved, little is known about their development mainly due to a poor understanding of the parrots’ physiology and the lack of validated methods to measure stress in these species. In birds, blood corticosterone concentrations provide information about adrenocortical activity. However, blood sampling techniques are difficult, highly invasive and inappropriate to investigate stressful situations and welfare conditions. Thus, a non-invasive method to measure steroid hormones is critically needed. Aiming to perform a physiological validation of a cortisone enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to measure glucocorticoid metabolites (GCM) in droppings of 24 Blue-fronted parrots (Amazona aestiva), two experiments were designed. During the experiments all droppings were collected at 3-h intervals. Initially, birds were sampled for 24 h (experiment 1) and one week later assigned to four different treatments (experiment 2): Control (undisturbed), Saline (0.2 mL of 0.9% NaCl IM), Dexamethasone (1 mg/kg IM) and Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH; 25 IU IM). Treatments (always one week apart) were applied to all animals in a cross-over study design. A daily rhythm pattern in GCM excretion was detected but there were no sex differences (first experiment). Saline and dexamethasone treatments had no effect on GCM (not different from control concentrations). Following ACTH injection, GCM concentration increased about 13.1-fold (median) at the peak (after 3–9 h), and then dropped to pre-treatment concentrations. By a successful physiological validation, we demonstrated the suitability of the cortisone EIA to non-invasively monitor increased adrenocortical activity, and thus, stress in the Blue-fronted parrot. This method opens up new perspectives for investigating the connection between behavioural disorders and stress in this bird species, and could also help in their captive management.

The aim of this investigation is to describe the potential contributing nutritional factors involved in the development of ophthalmic and dermatologic changes in four Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris spp tigris) cubs fed an artificial milk formula. The affected animals were compared with two other tiger cubs that had been nursed by their dam naturally. After the first clinical signs appeared, the tiger cubs underwent ophthalmic evaluation. Severe symmetric generalized alopecia over the trunk, sparing the head and distal portion of the front and rear limbs, bilateral cataracts and strabismus were noticed. Milk and blood from the mother, as well as blood from the healthy and affected cubs were collected in order to evaluate complete blood counts, serum chemistry values, and amino acid levels. The amino acid concentrations in the artificial formula were also evaluated for comparison to the milk from the dam. The concentration of taurine, arginine, phenylalanine, tryptophan and histidine were very low in the artificial formulas as compared to the dam´s milk. The tiger cubs that received the artificial formula had lower levels of the amino acids listed previously as compared to those that nursed from the dam naturally. Taurine, as well as arginine, phenylalanine, tryptophan and histidine deficiency appeared to be possible causes of the development of skin problems, cataracts and strabismus in the tiger cubs fed with these particular artificial milk replacers. In the future, special attention should be given in order to make sure that adequate levels of these amino acids are present in artificial milk for tiger cubs.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of propolis use on hematological and serum biochemical parameters in Blue-fronted Amazons (Amazona aestiva). For this, 12 adult birds were distributed randomly into individual cages, divided into treatments with different propolis levels (A = 0.0%; B = 0.5%; and C = 1.0%), in 3 distinct phases (I, II, and III), with 15-d duration for phases I and III and 30 d for phase II, totaling 60 d. In phases I and III, all birds received treatment A ration, and in phase II received A, B, or C (4 birds per treatment). At the end of each phase, blood was collected for biochemical and hematological evaluations. The variables were analyzed by ANOVA (P < 0.05). Results suggest that 0.5% propolis reduced lactate dehydrogenase levels, whereas treatment B augmented hemoglobin concentrations and eosinophil count. It is concluded that 0.5% propolis improves levels of lactate dehydrogenase, hemoglobin, and eosinophils.

RESUMOO Tamanduá Bandeira (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) é uma espécie da superordem Xenarthra que apresenta coloração amarelada na cabeça, nos membros e na parte cranial do dorso, sendo o restante do corpo negro. É um mamífero distribuído por todo território nacional, típico de áreas de cerrado, que se encontra ameaçado de extinção. Assim como em outras espécies silvestres, as informações técnicas, como estudos radiográficos para melhor compreensão dos aspectos anatômicos desses animais ainda são escassas. Dessa forma, esse trabalho tem como objetivo descrever radiograficamente as características radiográficas observadas no tórax de um exemplar de Myrmecophaga tridactyla, jovem, em bom estado de saúde, assistido por profissionais do Centro Veterinário da PUC Minas em Poços de Caldas. Esse animal foi anestesiado, submetido ao exame radiográfico do tórax em incidências laterais e ventrodorsais, permitindo a identificação e descrição das principais estruturas presentes nesta cavidade e suas particularidades.

Apilic accident, in medicine, is the name given to the phenomenon of aggression by bees of the genus Apis. This article describes the pathological consequences of a case of Africanized bees attacking examples of Blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna) captive by a wild fauna maintainer, located in the south of Minas Gerais State. Anatomically, vascular changes and inflammatory reactions were observed in the stung site as flushing, bruising and edema, as well as the histopathological evaluation showed generalized congestion, disseminated intravascular hemolysis, inflammatory infiltration composed of eosinophils, basophils and lymphocytes. Microscopically, vascular lesions were found, as already seen in macroscopy, with renal and hepatic edema being observed in all individuals, necrosis in proximal contorted tubules and inflammatory infiltration throughout the renal and pulmonary interstitium. Other changes observed included myocardial edema, increased cell volume in renal tubules, inflammatory infiltrate into the liver parenchyma, pulmonary edema and hepatocyte vacuolization. According to histopathological findings, we can state that the characteristic of type I hypersensitivity lesions was found in the macaws of this case, being similar to that observed in mammals. Therefore, this information contributes to a better understanding of avian apical accidents, as well as in order to influence studies for future therapeutic procedures for birds.

No abstract